"Don't confuse circumstance with character." WOW!!!! My son hit me with that truth when we were talking about dating. I was making excuses for someone in my past, and he cut me off with that sentence. He stopped me cold. I made excuses for her for almost 3 years. I was saying maybe it was timing; maybe if she'd had more time between her divorce and meeting me, then maybe she wouldn't have done some of those things. How is it a 14 year old boy can see to the heart of a matter like dating but I could be so oblivious? I wanted what I wanted for so long and sacrificed so much self-respect to make it work that it became impossible for me to see the situation for what it was; impossible to see her for who she is. I was blinded by self-will. Man, I'm blessed beyond measure to have the life I have, and to have it unfold exactly as it has.